Folding cot.



PATENTED JULY-5, 1904.

N. E. NELSON.

FOLDING GOT.

APPLICATION 2mm mm 1. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Patented July 5, 1904.

. PATENT OFFICE.

I NELS E. NELSON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

FOLDING COT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,368, dated July 5, 1904. Application filed M110 1, 1903. Serial No. 159,430. (No model.)

To (Ll/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Nurs E. NELSON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Des elevation of same.

Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cots, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a cot of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction that when in its position for use will be securely locked against folding or collapsing and in which the head and foot portions of the flexible cover will be inclined upwardly from'the body portion thereof.

A further object is to provide a cot having rigid side rails and four legs supported on said rigid side rails, which when in its folded position will be compact, so as to occupy a minimum of space transversely, and also will be of a length materially less than the length of the cot when in its extended position.

A further object is to provide folding foot and head sections for a cot, so arranged and combined with the folding legs of the cot that the legs may be folded only when the said extensions are moved upwardly and folded over the body portion of the cot, and the legs and the extensions will be interlocked in such manner that the legs cannot move from their extended position without first elevating the extension.

A further object is to provide an improved hinge for connecting the legs of a folding cot, said hinge being of simple and inexpensive construction and limiting the folding movement of the legs.

My invention consistsin certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as

hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed. out

in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in perspective the complete cot in position for use. Fig. 2 shows an end Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the cot in its folded position. Fig. 1 shows an enlarged detail side view of one of the side rails of the cot and one of the legs and extensions attached thereto and in their each end of each side rail is a leg 11 and said leg is pivotally connected to the side rail by means of two plates 12, which plates are rigidly connected to the leg by the bolts 13 and pivotally connected to the side rail 10 bymeans of the bolt 14. The said plates and legs are so arranged that when the legs are in their extended position the upper ends of the legs will rest against the lower surfaces of the rails 10, as shown in Fig. 5, and when the legs are in the folded position they will lie parallel with the rails 10. By this means it is obvious that the legs can fold only in one waythat is, toward the center of the side rail to which they are attached. The pair of legs at each end of the cot are crossed and are pivotally connected with each other by means of the hinged plate 15. This hinged plate is provided with two openings 16 and extensions beyond said openings. openings 16 and through one of the legs, and a bolt 18 passes through the other opening 16 and through the other leg. A limiting-pin 19 is positioned in one of the legs to be engaged by the adjacent extension of the plate 15 when the legs are crossed at the proper angle for use, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Obviously when the side rails are moved close together these legs will lie parallel with each other and may then be folded up against the side rails.

As before explained, the side rails are of a length only slightly more than half the total length of the cot, and to provide a cot of full length I have provided an extension-arm 20, pivoted to the outer face of each end of each rail by means of the bolt 21. These extension-arms 20 are slightly curved, as clearly A bolt 17 passes through one of the.

shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, so that when the cot is in its position for use they will incline upwardly relative to the side rails.

The reference-numeral 22 indicates a cotcover preferably made of canvas and attached at its side edges to the extension-arms 20 and the side rails 10, so that when the cot is in its position for use the canvas cover will be of a length reaching from the outer end of one extension to the outer end of the extension at the opposite end.

I have provided means for interlocking the extension-arms and the legs, so that when the extension-arms are in their position for use the legs will be securely locked against folding movements, and at the same time when the cot is in its position for use the extensionarms will be locked against downward movement, as follows: A lever 23, bent near its central portion, is pivoted to each leg by the bolt 13 at the lower end of the hinge-plates 12, and the same lever is pivoted to the adjacent extension-arm 20 by means of the bolt 24: a short distance beyond the pivotal point of the extension-arm, the bend in said lever being so arranged that as the extension-arm moves outwardly to its position for use the pivotal point of the lever to the extension will pass beyond a line drawn through the pivotal point of the lever With the leg and the pivotal point of the extension-arm, the said lever striking the bolt 21, and thereby locking the extension-arm against further downward movement and also locking the leg against folding movement. The only way that said leg can be folded is by first elevating the outer end of the arm 20 until it reaches the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Then the leg may be readily folded inwardly, and at the same time the extensionarm Will fold downwardly parallel with the side rails.

In practical use with the preferred form of my invention and assuming the cot to be in its extended position, as shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious that when weight is applied on top of the cot the legs can operate only until the ends of the plates 15 strike the stops 19, and

then further pivotal movement of the legs is prevented. Furthermore, the weight applied to the canvas top on the extensions tends to fold said extensions downwardly, and so long as the extensions are held in this position the legs will be prevented from folding inwardly by means of the levers 23. If it is desired to fold the cot, the operator may do so readily, quickly, and easily by grasping the ends of the canvas cover between the extension-arms at each end. Thus he may easily fold all of the extension-arms inwardly at the same time. After the extension-arms have been folded inwardly to a point near the side rails then the operator may draw the side rails together, thus causing the legs to stand parallel with each other, and he may then fold the legs to position parallel with the under surface of the side rails. When this is done, the total length of the cot is only that of the side rails, because the extension-arms and the legs are all contained within the length of the side rails, and the cot is folded so as to occupy a minimum of space, and it may be easily shipped and handled.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. In a folding cot, the combination of side rails, legs hinged to the end portions of the side rails to fold inwardly against the side rails, extension-arms pivoted to the end portions of the side rails, a flexible cover having its edges attached to the side rails, and extension-arms and bent levers 23 pivoted at one end to the arms and at the other end to the legs, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of two crossed legs, a plate 15 having openings 16 in its end portions, a bolt passed through each leg, one of said bolts passing through each of said holes, and a stop 19 for limiting the movement of the plate.

3. An improved folding cot, comprising in combination two parallel side rails, extensionarms hinged to the ends thereof, a flexible cover secured at its edges to the side rails and extension-arms, legs hinged to the ends of the side rails and the legs at each end of the cot crossed, bent levers 23 pivoted to the legs and to the extension-arms, and plates 15 pivoted to the crossed legs, and stops for limiting the movement of said plates, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

NELS E. NELSON. IVitnesses:

- A. G. HAGUE,

WV. R. LANE. 

